I looked around, wondering how I could help him. If there was one thing I knew for sure, Jake needed to make it to the armory. Who knew if they had doctors there? He could help them far more than I could. He was the one who had to survive this. I was just lucky enough to be along for the ride.
The infected weren’t mindless zombies. Yes, they suffered from the madness the fever caused, but they still had the ability to talk and most still thought. That was the exact reason one of them, in the center of the horde circling the hospital parking lot, had thought enough to bring her oxygen tank with her when she came to seek help.
I leveled my gun, watching as Jake was being swarmed once again in the new car he was in. If this worked, it would make our escape easier. All I could do was hope it didn’t explode enough to kill us all. It was a chance I needed to take. I whispered a small prayer, then pulled the trigger.
BOOM!
The sound echoed throughout the parking lot. I struggled to hold to the gun as I was rocked backward slightly and the ringing in my ears left me slightly confused. For a split second, it was like my mind went somewhere else. I saw Jake, clean of the grime and guts we’d been caked in for the past day. He was smiling at me and doing that goofy head shake he did when he was trying to make someone see his point of view. Then, just as quickly as the vision appeared, it was gone. I was back in the parking lot, watching the infected move toward the flames and away from the car Jake was driving.
“Smart idea,” he called out to me as he pulled the car up beside the one I was waiting by. “I’ll load up. Use your crutches and start moving.”
I nodded in answer, still feeling a bit off balance. I couldn’t let that slow me down though. My fucked-up leg had caused us enough issues already. We didn’t have time for more. I stuffed the ammo in my scrubs, snatched the spare guns from the backseat, and did my best to teeter my way across the dark, back end of the parking lot.
“I have the guns.” I knew Jake would be more worried about the food and other supplies in the trunk. I couldn’t blame him for that, but something was telling me protection may be a better thing to have right then. The house we’d stayed in had clearly been owned by someone who felt the same way.
Trying to maneuver the guns while I hobbled on the crutches turned out to be more difficult that I’d realized. Jake had pulled close, so I tossed my cherished armory in through the back window of the Toyota. I had to ignore the vulnerable feeling that washed over me. I didn’t have time for that. Neither did he. He needed me to get moving.
I made it around to the other side of the car and opened the door just as a gargled voice spoke behind me. “Are you a doctor?” I felt my stomach tighten as I turned to see a woman standing there, most of her face gone. The virus had eaten away at the flesh down the side of her neck, across her right shoulder, and most of her right breast. I could see the bone, muscle, and tissue underneath. The part that stopped me in my tracks was the size of her stomach.
“Jake,” I called out. I could hear my own voice as it trembled. I felt his hand touch my shoulder and jumped slightly. “She’s pregnant, isn’t she?”
“Cammy, just get in the car. We need to just go, alright.”
“The baby?”
“Let’s not think about that, okay?” He grabbed my shoulders and slowly lowered me into the car, then set the crutches in beside me.
“Should we…you know?”
“She isn’t hurting us, we’ll just leave her be,” he answered as he shut the car door and rushed around to the driver’s side. He hesitated just a minute, then fired up the engine and tossed the car in drive.
We pulled away from the parking lot, and I turned, watching the woman who’d been trying to ask us for help. The other infected slowly gathered around us, like they were watching us leave them behind. The pregnant woman then turned away from us, looked toward the hospital, and started moving in that direction. She clearly had enough of her mind left to know that’s where help should’ve been.
“Grandma was there.”
The statement coming from Jake made everything that had happened crash down around me. I covered my face and allowed myself a minute to sob into my own hands. I didn’t have a big family, but the idea of all of them, even Norene, being gone broke my heart. The world was ending and the only person I could depend on was Jake.
“The armory is just down this road. It won’t take us long to get there. That is, if we don’t have any more issues.”
“No more stops,” I told him as I leaned back against the seat. “I don’t think I can handle any more of those.”
“Me either. We’ll drive straight to the gate. No detours, no stops. This time, we go straight for help.”
I didn’t want to state the obvious, but Jake wasn’t going to. “What happens if the armory is overrun like the hospital?”
“Then we drive on to the next town. This car has a full tank of gas. We’ll keep going until we find someone to help us.”
“What if we’re the last ones, Jake? Is that possible? You know more about viruses and infection than I do.”
“At this point, everything I thought I knew is out the window. This shit happened so fast the CDC didn’t even name the virus. I have no idea what we’re dealing with, where it came from, or if there’s anyone out there working on a treatment. The one thing I do know is the mortality rate isn’t good. Anyone who gets it, well, eventually, they die. That’s why I want to be as careful as possible with you. I don’t want you infected.”
I looked over at him and shook my head. “Jake, you can’t worry about me so much. You’re the important one here. We don’t know how many medical professionals are left. You can help people. Me? I’m crafty and can shoot a gun. We need to make sure you get where you can do the most good.”
I ignored the look he gave me. He wanted to argue but knew it wouldn’t do any good. If Jake had learned anything about me when we were younger, it was not to argue with my stubborn ass. Instead, he kept driving, saying nothing more.
“Cammy, wake up. Now.”
I heard Jake’s voice then felt my body shake. My eyes popped open and I saw his face leaned toward my own, panic etched there. “What’s going on?” I asked groggily.
“We’re here.”
I sat up quickly and looked at the gate in front of us. A guard tower stood to the right, but no one was in it. For the most part, the place seemed abandoned. “Dammit.”
“I know,” Jake sighed then placed his hand on the ignition to start the car again.
“ARE YOU INFECTED?”
The voice rang out from all around us. I looked around, finally spotting a loudspeaker placed near the gate.
“NO!” Jake yelled out as he opened the car door and stepped out. He held his arms up to show he wasn’t armed. “My name is Dr. Jake Hammond. My friend and I are currently clear of all infection. I’m trying to find information on what’s happening and what I can do to help.”
Silence followed his statement. I didn’t know if that was a good thing or a bad thing. He looked back at me nervously, then jumped slightly when the gate flew open. A man in military clothing stood there with two armed guards on either side of him. He was older, possibly in his sixties. “I’m Colonel Grayson, Dr. Hammond. We’re glad you and your companion made it here.”
“Have you learned more about what’s going on? Is the CDC working on a vaccine?”
“We’ll tell you everything you need to know, Dr. Hammond. If you’re clear of infection, we can surely use your help around here. But first, unfortunately,” he said as the armed men leveled their guns at us and four others dressed in full Hazmat suits rushed out of the gates, “we need to make sure you are virus free. Welcome to quarantine.”